


Twenty years into eternity

by TwilightPony21



Category: Good Witch (TV), JAG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 08:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13027200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightPony21/pseuds/TwilightPony21
Summary: Twenty years after their first meeting, Harm and Mac meet again at Cassie Nightingale's Grey House.





	Twenty years into eternity

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone! I don't know if you're familiar with both JAG and Good Witch, but I'm a big fan of Catherine Bell in both shows, and I'd love to see Harm and Mac visit Grey House someday. I wrote this crossover ficlet earlier this year - about twenty years after the JAG season 2 premiere when Mac was first introduced and about the time in Good Witch when Cassie and Sam really started falling in love. If you're also a fan of both shows, I hope you enjoy the story - thanks for reading!

“Morning, Cassie.”

“Morning, George.”  Cassie Nightingale gave Grey House’s lovable grandfather figure and resident handyman a warm smile as he entered the kitchen.  The sun was just rising over the horizon on the late spring day, bathing Middleton's bed and breakfast in bright, cheery morning light.

“Sweet honey biscuits and herbal tea?” George asked as he surveyed the scene and inhaled the delicious aroma.

Cassie nodded as she set a large mixing bowl on the counter.  “Grey House has a very special guest arriving today.  An admiral in the United States Navy.”

“An admiral?”  George let out a low whistle.  “So that’s why you asked me to prepare the master suite and trim the rose bushes in the garden.”

"Thank you, George," Cassie acknowledged gratefully.  "I think our new guest will find that it's the perfect place to renew his wedding vows."

Just then, the kitchen door swung open, and Cassie's cousin Abigail breezed into the room, swiping a spoonful of batter from the bowl as she passed by.

“Abigail!” Cassie scolded.

Abigail tossed her auburn tresses and her eyes widened with innocence.  “Just tasting,” she insisted.  “What was that I heard about wedding vows?”

“We have a new guest arriving today,” Cassie explained patiently.  “He’s an admiral in the United States Navy.”

“Mmm,” Abigail mused, her eyes gazing into the distance dreamily.  “I always did love a man in uniform.”

“He’s married,” Cassie informed her.  “But since he and his wife don’t see each other very often, they decided to come to Grey House to spend some time together.”  A gentle, knowing smile spread across her face.  “And I think that Grey House will be just what the two of them need.”

~*~o~*~

Cassie had just removed a tray of light, fluffy biscuits from the oven when a delightful shiver of anticipation ran down her spine.  Certain that it meant her guest had arrived, she hurried to the front hallway where she met him just as he walked in the door.

“Welcome to Grey House, Admiral Rabb,” Cassie greeted warmly.

There could be no mistaking the man in front of her for the commanding military figure that he was.  His summer white uniform was impeccably clean, and the stars on his shoulder boards and the ribbons and gold wings on his chest sparkled in the sunlight.  His very presence in Grey House was nearly overwhelming, but his eyes were kind and his smile was friendly.

"Harm," he said.

"Harm," Cassie repeated.  "Of course.  Cassie Nightingale.  It's an honor to have you here."

"Well, hello there, Admiral."

As Abigail entered the foyer with a bit of a flirtatious spark in her eye, Cassie hid an amused smile behind her hand.

"Uh, hello," Harm said politely.

"I'm Abigail," she announced with a dramatic flair.  "From Abigail's Flower Market on Main Street, where you can stop by any time and pick up some flowers for that special someone in your life."  She winked at him.  "I'm sure all Navy wives just love flowers."

Harm laughed a little nervously.  "Well, actually my wife is a general in the U.S. Marine Corps."

"Oh."  Abigail looked somewhat deflated, and she craned her neck to confirm that there wasn't another guest accompanying Harm.  "But she didn’t make the trip with you?"

“She’s flying in tomorrow,” Harm explained.  “I live in London, my wife lives in San Diego."

Abigail blinked in disbelief.  "But that’s so...far apart.”

"Five thousand four hundred and eighty-nine miles," Harm said automatically.  "Ten and a half hours flying time."

Abigail exchanged a surprised look with Cassie, as the tone of the admiral's voice indicated that he knew the trip well and had traveled the route many times over the years.

“Well,” Cassie said encouragingly.  “Sometimes our time spent apart makes the moments we spend together even more precious.”

~*~o~*~

_Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb.  Major Sarah MacKenzie._

_Don’t get too familiar.  You’re gonna work together._

It was more than twenty years ago now, Harm realized as he ducked under one of the beautiful weeping willow trees in the garden behind Grey House.  More than twenty years ago, Admiral Chegwidden had introduced him to his soulmate, and it had taken another eight years after that for him to realize it.

Harm took a deep breath and sank down on one of the stone benches in the garden.  He had changed out of his uniform into civilian clothes, and he finally felt the demands of a strict military career starting to relax in such peaceful surroundings.  There was something magical about this place, he thought, with its lovely flowers and decorative bushes, colorful petals laced with the morning dew, a beautiful old stone wall, and an elegant wooden trellis covered with climbing rose vines.

“Admiral Rabb?”

Harm was startled from his thoughts as a young girl approached him with a friendly but slightly shy smile.

“Hi, I'm Grace," she said.

"Harm."

"My mom said you would be out here," Grace explained.  "I—I just wanted to say hello.  In school we're learning about U.S. military action throughout history, like during the Vietnam War.  I was wondering if you and your wife ever fought in the war?"

"Wow," Harm deadpanned.  "I must be getting really old."

Grace blushed at his remark and tucked a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear.  "Sorry."

The teasing twinkle in Harm's eye turned serious.  "My father did," he said.  "He was an aviator on the _USS Ticonderoga_ when his plane was shot down in Vietnam."

"Oh, my gosh."  Grace's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open.  "I'm—I’m so sorry.  I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," Harm assured her.  "It was a long time ago."

"What happened?" Grace asked hesitantly.

"He was captured in Vietnam, taken to Russia...he escaped, but he never made it home.”  Now Harm’s voice did take on a distant, melancholy tone.  “My wife and I traced his path to Russia years ago and found that he died saving a young woman from Russian soldiers.”

Grace's face fell with a sudden sharp pang of understanding.  "My father was killed in the line of duty, too.”

Harm looked over at Grace, his eyes filled with an empathy not usually found between a Navy admiral and a young teenage girl.  "I won't tell you that it ever stops hurting," he said gently, "but don't let the pain consume you to the point where you never let anybody else into your life."

"That's why my mom wanted me to talk to you," Grace said quietly, tracing a circle in the dirt with her shoe.  She swallowed hard and took a deep breath.  "She, uh...she also said that you and your wife are looking for a place to renew your wedding vows.”

“I was," Harm nodded.  He motioned to the garden.  "But it looks like I might have found one."

“Hey, you two."

Harm and Grace looked up as Cassie approached, carrying two cups of hot tea.

"For both of you," she said, handing each of them a mug.  "A special blend of rosemary and chamomile to help calm and clear the mind.  Did you two have a good talk?" she asked, her voice speaking the words but her eyes silently asking if they had discovered the other connection between them.

"We did, Mom," Grace assured her.  She rose from the stone bench with her cup of tea.  “And I’ve got history homework calling my name.  It was nice to meet you, Admiral.”

"Your daughter?” Harm asked as Grace hurried into the house.

Cassie nodded.

“She seems like a bright kid.”

“She’s the brightest part of my life," Cassie replied proudly.  "When you have children, you don't always take the time to appreciate the lifelong reward they offer."  She watched a strange light flicker across Harm's eyes.  “Something tells me you would make a wonderful father, Admiral."

Harm’s stoic expression wavered for just a moment.  “I was guardian to a young woman once,” he said.  “She’s grown now, teaching business at a college in Virginia and running an aviation company on the side.  But no, my wife and I never had children of our own.”

Cassie studied him closely, as the fatherly pride she detected in his voice was quickly replaced by deep sadness and regret.

“A family isn’t always joined by blood," Cassie said quietly.  "Sometimes the strongest bond that holds a family together is simply the love between them."

~*~o~*~

Later that day, Cassie had barely switched the “closed” sign on the door to “open” when the first customer arrived at her little shop, _Bell, Book & Candle_.

And this particular customer didn’t come to make a purchase.

Martha Tinsdale’s plump form nearly bounced through the door with excitement.  “Oh, Cassie, is it true? Is there really an admiral from the United States Navy visiting our quaint little town?  And is he staying at Grey House?”

"Good morning, Martha."  Cassie laughed.  "And it's true.  He and his wife are going to renew their wedding vows in a private ceremony at Grey House."

Martha leaned forward and spoke to Cassie in a low, almost conspiratorial tone.  "I heard that he's married to a Marine."

"Is he?" Cassie asked with a sly smile.

"Well, it's just a rumor," Martha backpedaled, smoothing out the stylish scarf she wore around her neck.

"Well, maybe you can ask him yourself," Cassie suggested, giving an almost imperceptible nod towards the entrance.

"Oh, Cassie, I don't know if I could—oh!”  Martha stopped short as a tall figure came up beside her.

"Martha, meet Admiral Harmon Rabb."

Martha put a hand to her chest, her eyelashes fluttering furiously.  "Oh, my," she breathed.  "Cassie, you never mentioned he was quite so...dashing."

Martha cleared her throat and stepped forward to shake Harm's hand. "Admiral Rabb," she said in her best professional tone.  “I'm Mayor Martha Tinsdale, and I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Middleton.”

“Well, thank you,” Harm said politely.

"Cassie tells me that you and your wife will be renewing your marriage vows at Grey House."

Harm nodded.  "Well, it’s just going to be a very small—”

"Oh, that's marvelous!" Martha exclaimed.  "I'm sure that Cassie and her family will offer you the finest hospitality at Grey House.  Oh, and Abigail.  Have you met Abigail?  She has a lovely flower shop here in town and she can deliver any kind of floral arrangement you could possibly need.  And the Bistro...it's one of the most popular restaurants in Middleton, and Stephanie even has a catering business on the side.  I'm sure she would be happy to bake a wedding cake or two or three—”

Cassie hid a smile as she saw Harm cringe at Martha’s enthusiasm.  "Martha," she cut in, "I'm sure the admiral will find everything he needs."

Harm shot Cassie a grateful look.  "Actually I just came through town to pick up some roses for my wife.”

"Oh, that's so romantic," Martha sighed dreamily.

“Well, I'm glad you came," Cassie said sincerely.  "I have something for your wife, too."  She made her way across the shop and pulled a black velvet box off one of the shelves, opening it to reveal a necklace made of flaxen horse hair with two snow white doves.

“There are two threads to the necklace," Cassie explained, setting the box carefully into Harm's hands.  “And they always intertwine no matter how you look at it or how you turn it.  The two white doves can travel along any path but they always find their way back to each other.”

_I spent my life preparing to be a naval aviator, Mac._

_All I’ve ever really wanted to do is fly._

Harm gently traced his fingers over the exquisitely crafted birds, giving Cassie a somewhat puzzled look.  “One of the wings is broken.”

“Maybe,” Cassie replied softly, “or maybe it just knows that you don’t always need wings to fly.”

~*~o~*~

"Something smells great in here."

When the back door of Grey House swung open the next morning, Sam Radford entered the kitchen to the delicious smell of breakfast, expecting to see Cassie standing at the stove.

Instead, Sam discovered a dark-haired man with a six-foot-four frame flipping pancakes on the skillet.

"You're not Cassie," Sam stated, blinking in surprise.

"No, he’s not,” confirmed the sweet voice behind him.

Sam glanced over his shoulder.  "How did you...?"  He shook his head and raised a hand.  "Never mind.  I don't want to know.”

Cassie gave him an amused smile.  “Sam, this is Admiral Harmon Rabb of the United States Navy.  Harm, this is Dr. Sam Radford.  He lives next door and owns a practice here in Middleton, and he's also chief of staff at Hillcrest Hospital.”

"Well, I'm not sure that’s any comparison to being a U.S. naval officer," Sam said modestly.  "I'm sorry, sir.  I, uh, didn't know admirals cooked breakfast.”

Harm grinned.  “It’s a well-kept secret.”

"Sam," Cassie chided teasingly.  "You know that guests are always welcome to help prepare breakfast at Grey House.  And now that you're here, won't you stay for breakfast?"

Sam sighed theatrically.  "Well, with that invitation, I guess you've talked me into it."

Cassie patted his shoulder and let her hand linger just a moment longer as she made her way to the dining room to set the table.

“I don’t know how she does that,” Sam muttered.

“Ever met a Marine who knows the time without ever looking at a clock?" Harm asked dryly.

Sam gave him a curious look.

"I don’t know how she does it either.  My wife and I have spent most of our marriage on two different continents, and the time zones don't even throw her off.”

Sam chuckled.  “There were times in my marriage when I wished I were on another continent from my wife.”

Harm raised an eyebrow.

“We’re not together anymore,” Sam explained quickly.  "It's just my son Nick and me now."

"And you and Cassie?” Harm asked.

“A work in progress," Sam admitted.  "We’re taking things slowly."

Harm flipped a couple of pancakes in the air and they landed neatly on the plate.  “Can I give you some advice?”

Sam shrugged, a little uncertain about what a Navy admiral could possibly have to say to him.  “Sure.”

“Don’t wait too long.”

~*~o~*~

_Where'd you find this sailor, Sarah?_

_In a rose garden, Uncle Matt._

A nostalgic smile graced the face of Sarah MacKenzie Rabb as her car wound its way along the pretty country road towards Middleton.  Twenty years ago, she had been introduced to the man she would spend the rest of her life with, and she still remembered it like it was yesterday.  Perhaps his days of hanging off helos in the desert were over, but Harm still held her heart in a way that defied anything Mac ever could have dreamed.

When she finally pulled up to her destination, she stepped out of the car and gazed admiringly at the inviting stone house with its bright bay windows and elegant shutters.

“General MacKenzie Rabb?”

Mac glanced over to see a pretty brunette woman standing at the front door.  “Welcome to Grey House,” she said.  “I’m Cassie Nightingale.”

"Oh, please call me Mac."

The two women stepped towards each other at the same time, and it was almost like watching a reflection as they both extended their hands and shook politely.

"Mac," Cassie repeated in a friendly tone.  "Then I assume this is for you."

With a delicate flourish, she held out a single red rose.

"Ohhh,” Mac breathed.  "Cassie, it's beautiful."

"Well, one of the other guests wanted to make sure his Marine received a proper welcome."

"Oh, really?" Mac asked, one eyebrow arching in amusement.

"I think he’s waiting for you in the garden," Cassie added.  "He said he'll be the one wearing dress whites and gold wings."

~*~o~*~

"Hey, sailor."

Even if he hadn't been wearing his dress whites, Mac would have known the figure in the garden anywhere.

"Mac."

Harm rose from the bench to his full height, his eyes drinking in the vision of his wife in a silky red gown.  His breath caught in his throat as one hand reached for hers, pulling her close, the other hand cupping her cheek as he kissed her gently.

"This is...beautiful," she murmured.  She couldn't think of another way to describe the feeling of standing in a quiet garden with the man she loved, surrounded by roses intricately woven into the trellis above them.  It nearly brought tears to her eyes.

"Twenty years ago," Harm began softly, wiping her tears with his thumb as he had done so many times before.

Mac put a finger to his lips to silence him.  "And for twenty years, it's always been you."

_Will you always be there?_

_Yes._

Harm pressed another soft kiss to her lips and leaned in until he was sure only she could hear.

“I love you, Mac,” he whispered in her ear, his voice so soft that he was nearly mouthing the words, brushing her cheek with his breath.

Mac felt her heart soar and her arms tightened around his neck as she rested her forehead against his.  “I love you, Harm.”

And as Harm and Mac shared a long, sweet kiss in the middle of a beautiful rose garden, they were unaware of the three witnesses watching from the window of Grey House.

Grace clasped her hands together and sighed happily.  “They’re so beautiful together,” she gushed.

Sam was similarly moved by the scene before him, and he reached for Cassie's hand and gave it a light squeeze.  She smiled at the warmth of his touch and squeezed back as they shared a look filled with promise.

"Love never asks when or why," Cassie whispered.  "But when you find the right person, twenty years is merely the start of eternity.”


End file.
